1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a hair dryer with a brush used not only for combing, setting and/or drying a hair with humidified and warmed wind, but also for performing treatment of the hair with spraying minus ion (negative ion).
2. Description of the Related Art
Minus ion is defined as atmospheric molecules to which minus electrons are stuck and a several number of water molecules are included. Since a particle size of the minus ion is very small, when the minus ion taking the water molecules is adhered on a hair, it seeps into inside of the hair easily. Thus, it is generally said that the minus ion brings a desirable advantageous merit that the hair becomes moisture rustle. Furthermore, when the minus ion is sprayed to the hair in brushing particularly, it neutralizes static electricity which occurs in the hair due to blushing. Thus, it is generally said that spreading of the hair due to static electricity can be reduced and the hair can be gathered up.
In contrast, when the minus ion is heated, temperature of water molecules contained in the minus ion is increased to have a higher energy. Even when the minus ion adheres on a hair, the water molecules included in the minus ion becomes easily be evaporated to the air, again. Thus, the advantageous merit of the minus ion for making the hair moisture and rustle is reduced.
Hair care equipments, which utilize the above-mentioned action and characteristics of the minus ion, are put in practical use, conventionally. A conventional hair dryer with a brush and a minus ion generator, for example, shown in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2003-61736 is described with reference to FIG. 3.
As shown in FIG. 3, the hair dryer 50 comprises a main body 60 and a brush unit 70 detachably mounted on the main body 60. The main body 60 is comprised of a housing 61, a motor 62, a fan 63 rotated by the motor 62 and a heater 64. The fan 63, the motor 62 and the heater 64 are arranged in series in an inside of the housing 61 from an air inlet 65 to an air outlet 66.
The brush unit 70 is mounted on the air outlet 66 of the housing 61. The brush unit 70 has an array of bristles 71, a minus ion generator 72 and an ion outlet 73 from which the minus ion is spread. The minus ion generator 72 is provided in an inside of the brush unit 70. Air flow, which blows out from the air outlet 66 of the main body 61 of the main body 60, proceeds into the inside of the brush unit 70, and turns toward the array of the bristles 71 substantially at right angle. The air flow further blows out from gaps or holes formed between the bristles 71 toward, for example, hair.
The conventional hair dryer, however, has following problems. Since the ion outlet 73 is located on an implant face 74 of the array of the bristles 71, the ion outlet 73 may be closed by hairs while the brushing. Thus, an area of the hair to which the minus ion is spread is limited, so that static electricity which occurs due to brushing is reduced only in a portion of the hair facing the ion outlet 73. Consequently, the advantageous merit of the minus ion such as reduction of static electricity cannot be worked sufficiently.
Furthermore, the above-mentioned conventional hair dryer 50 has the minus ion generator 72 in the inside of the brush unit 70, so that a load at a position remote from a grip portion of the main body 60 is increased in comparison with a case of using a brush unit with no minus ion generator. Thus, weight balance of the hair dryer 50 when the main body 60 of the hair dryer 50 is gripped by hand becomes worse, so that feeling of use in brushing becomes worse, too.
Still furthermore, since the ion outlet 73 is disposed at a position where the air flow passes. Thus, when the hair dryer 50 is used for heating the air flow, the minus ion generated by the minus ion generator 72 is heated too, so that temperature of water molecules included in the minus ion may be increased to have a higher energy. Even when the minus ion adheres on a hair, the water molecules included in the minus ion becomes easily be evaporated to the air, again. Thus, the advantageous merit of the minus ion for making the hair moisture and rustle cannot be brought out sufficiently.